Her late entry caused problems with fundraising and accumulating delegate support, so she switched her campaign to one for lieutenant governor.
She then lost the Republican primary for that race on August 14, coming in second against State Senator Joe Markley.
[citation needed] Stewart's political career began as a campaign staffer for former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson.
[7] During her early career, Stewart served as a campaign staffer for former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson, focusing on municipal political strategy and candidate outreach in Connecticut.
She also interned for Governor Jodi Rell's administration, gaining experience in legislative affairs and policy management.
[10][1] Stewart served as vice chairperson on the planning and budgeting subcommittee of New Britain's Commission on Community and Neighbourhood Development.
Stewart has raised awareness about breast cancer due to the death of an aunt who died from the disease in 1998 at the age of 51.
[12] Elected to the Board of Education in November 2011, Stewart advocated for a return to neighborhood schools, greater parental engagement, and enhanced accountability measurements for teachers and administrators while keeping costs low.
Stewart ran on a platform of government transparency and accountability while promising to restore financial health to the city in the face of a potential State takeover.
[21] Stewart was re-elected on November 7, 2017, by defeating Board of Education member Merrill Gay 57.5% - 42.5%,[22] becoming the first female mayor of the city to win a third term.
[31] Business interest has been sparked by the opening of CTfastrak, New England's first bus rapid transit system directly connects downtown New Britain with Connecticut's capital city of Hartford.
Stewart secured over $12 million in state and federal grants to help pay for the Complete Streetscape Master Plan.
In June 2014, the city's longtime baseball team, the New Britain Rock Cats announced that they were moving to Hartford.
[34] Stewart secured $2.145 million to fund the construction of more than ten units of permanent supportive housing; connecting individuals to the services needed to get back on their feet.